1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a file management apparatus and a file management method, and relates to, for example, a technology for virtually classifying files on a computer.
2. Background Art
In recent years, along with development of a computer, a plurality of users share a file with one another on a daily basis through a plurality of computers connected via a network. For example, there is a case where a file on a file server is shared by a plurality of users. At the time of managing a file, it is general to employ a folder (physical folder) with a fixed hierarchical structure. At the time of storing a file, there is a case where the file is stored into a folder which is decided according to operational rules inside of an organization. According to the operational rules, for example, a file is stored into a decided folder for each file type or for each user's department. Further, it is possible to conceive various patterns such as creating a folder for each year in which each file is created and creating a folder for each product. Such folder management methods are adopted not only in the case where a plurality of users share a file with one another but also in the case where a single user manages a file.
Depending on contents of work of a user, there is a case where some files stored in a plurality of physical folders need to be used collectively for one intended purpose. In such a case, for example, it is necessary to find out a required file from each folder and copy the file into one folder, so that this work places a burden on the user. In addition, when such work is repeated, the number of the same files increases on the file server, and a larger capacity of the file server is occupied. Further, if only part of the files thereamong are changed, similar files exist in a scattered manner on the file server, so that there arises a problem that the latest file cannot be determined.
In view of the above, there has been devised a method of managing a document (file) in association with metadata (attribute information) of the document. For example, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-323326 A has proposed a virtual folder system. The virtual folder system refers to a system which provides a folder (virtual folder) for storing a file or a folder which satisfies conditions, irrespective of the location at which the file actually exists. For example, metadata is set to files, and retrieval conditions on the metadata are defined to a virtual folder, whereby files which satisfy the retrieval conditions can be stored into the virtual folder. When the virtual folder is referred to, only the files based on the retrieval conditions are displayed. For example, in the case of managing a sales document, first, a “document type” (a written agreement (contract document), an order form, a written estimate, and the like) is defined as an attribute. The attribute refers to, for example, a term which represents a type of metadata such as a “document type” and a “business partner”. The document type is given to all files, and the retrieval condition that “the document type is “written agreement (contract document)”” is assigned to a virtual folder, whereby a list of written agreements (contract documents) can be acquired by referring to the virtual folder. In this way, in the virtual folder system, files are semantically classified, and hence effective utilization of documents becomes possible. In addition, files can be virtually managed by various folders irrespective of a physical folder structure, and hence it is possible to solve problems that a larger capacity is occupied by meaninglessly copying a file and the latest version cannot be determined.